Obstacle on a bowling lane

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an obstacle on a bowling lane for keeping the bowling hall on a single bowling lane. The obstacle comprises at least one obstacle element which is arranged to be movable and is located next to the edge of a single bowling lane, in the longitudinal direction of the same, means for moving the obstacle element and means for guiding the movement of the obstacle element. The means for moving the obstacle element comprise a channel ( 5 ) underneath the obstacle element that can expanded with a gaseous or liquid substance.

[0001] The present invention relates to an obstacle on a bowling lanefor keeping the bowling ball on a single bowling lane, and to a bowlinglane. The obstacle comprises at least one obstacle element that isarranged to be movable and is located next to the longitudinal edge of asingle bowling lane, means for moving the obstacle element and means forguiding the movement of the obstacle element. The bowling lane comprises

[0002] a substructure,

[0003] at least one single bowling lane comprising an approach lane, aball track, and a pin deck,

[0004] a gutter travelling on both sides of a single bowling lane, inparallel to the same in the longitudinal direction of the bowling lane,

[0005] an obstacle element that can be moved to an upper and lowerposition, and is located next to the longitudinal edge of the bowlinglane,

[0006] means for moving the obstacle element, and

[0007] means for guiding the movement of the obstacle element.

[0008] A problem that can occur when an inexperienced bowler is bowlingis that the bowling ball leaves the bowling lane and falls to the gutterso often that bowling is no longer inspiring. Therefore, obstacles havebeen developed for bowling lanes by means of which the falling of thebowling ball from the track to the gutter travelling on the side of thetrack is prevented. This form of bowling, in which the drifting of thebowling ball into the gutter is prevented, is called bumper bowling inEnglish. There is no established Finnish term for this purpose. Becausethe Finnish terms related to bowling lanes are otherwise unestablishedto a certain extent as well, corresponding English terms are shown inparenthesis in this application.

[0009] Usually the falling of the bowling ball into the gutter has beenprevented either by moving the edge of the gutter in such a manner thatit forms an obstacle for the bowling ball or by moving a separateobstacle located between the bowling lane and the gutter.

[0010] Obstacles that are formed in the edge of the bowling lane aredisclosed for example in the publications U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,564,986,5,857,918, 5,681,224, 5,417,616, 5,380,251 and 5,304,097.

[0011] Publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,097 discloses a lane suitable forconventional bowling or bumper bowling, in which the obstacle is formedby means of compatible beams parallel to the longitudinal or lateraldirection of the lane.

[0012] The publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,251 discloses a fence-likeobstacle, which can be lifted up in parallel with the lane by means ofbeams extending underneath the gutter.

[0013] The publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,616 discloses an obstacle,which is formed when the other side of a gutter composed of two parts islifted up by means of a lever arm and a spring.

[0014] The publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,986 discloses an obstacle,which is formed when the gutter is lifted up by means of a torsionshaft.

[0015] The publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,224 discloses an obstacle,the movement of which is effected by means of a hydraulic cylinder. Thehydraulic cylinder is guided either manually from the control panel of ascore keeping device or by means of an electronic control circuit.

[0016] The publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,918 discloses an obstacle,which is formed when the other side of a gutter composed of two parts islifted up by means of air cylinders or another electromechanical system.The air cylinders cushion the mechanical stress exerted to the obstaclewhen the obstacle is lowered down.

[0017] The drawbacks of prior art obstacles are for example the complexand expensive structures that are liable to breaking. By means of theobstacle according to the invention it is possible to avoid theabove-mentioned problems.

[0018] The obstacle and the bowling lane according to the invention arecharacterized in that the means for moving the obstacle element comprisea channel underneath the obstacle element that can be expanded with agaseous or liquid medium.

[0019] The obstacle according to the invention is simple and cheap, andit endures the blows caused by a bowling ball or another object. It is aspecial advantage of the present invention that the downward movement ofthe obstacle, i.e. the movement to a position in which the obstaclenormally is during bowling, does not have to be cushioned separately,but cushioning is effected already as a result of the structure of theobstacle.

[0020] In the longitudinal direction of a single bowling lane, the lanecontains an approach lane, a ball track and a pin deck on which the pinsto be bowled down stand erect. On both sides of each single bowling lanethere is a gutter, along which the bowling ball travels if it falls outof the track. Furthermore, the lane contains machines which are arrangedfor example to take care of keeping the scores and lifting the pins up.

[0021] The entire bowling lane is composed of sections in the lateraldirection in such a manner that there are two gutters between singlebowling lanes. Underneath the entire bowling lane there is asubstructure. The returning of the ball takes place in the spaceunderneath and/or between the gutters in such a manner that balls of twotracks are returned in the same space. Thus, space for the ball returnis required only underneath every other pair of gutters. On top of thesubstructure, bowling lane panels are mounted by means of a suitableattachment, which bowling lane panels can be several superimposed panellayers or bowling lane elements composed of a multiple layer structure.Between the panel layer or the lane element and the substructure theremay be a material, for example a rubber mat or the like, as a cushioninglayer.

[0022] The substructure of the bowling lane comprises beams extending inthe longitudinal direction of the bowling lane, beams extending in thelateral direction of the bowling lane and vertical beams supporting thebowling lane. The beams are connected to each other in such a mannerthat they form a three-dimensional trussed structure. The substructuremay also contain diagonal beams.

[0023] The channel according to the invention, which can be expandedwith a liquid or gaseous medium, is positioned underneath the obstacleelement, extending over the entire distance in the longitudinaldirection of a single bowling lane or part of the same that forms thetravel path of the bowling ball, i.e. the area between the approach laneand the pin deck. The material of the channel is at least partlyflexible in such a manner that it is capable of reacting to a pressurechange in the channel. The channel is suitably supported in such amanner that it is substantially parallel to the plane of the bowlinglane. Underneath the channel there may be a plate or a groove parallelto the plane of the bowling lane, which supports the channel, or thechannel may be attached to the beams in the cross direction of thesubstructure in such a manner that it does not move in the lateraldirection.

[0024] In the following, the invention will be described in more detailwith reference to the appended drawings, in which

[0025]FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a situation in which the gutter ofthe bowling lane is in the normal bowling position, and

[0026]FIG. 2 shows a cross section of a situation in which an obstaclefor the bowling balls has been formed from the edge of the gutter of thebowling lane in so-called bumper bowling.

[0027]FIGS. 1 and 2 show a part of the section of the bowling lane 1that remains between single bowling lanes. Between a single bowling lane3 and the section 1 remaining between the bowling lanes there is agutter 2 comprising a concave section between the edges 2 a and 2 b anda substantially vertical section 2 c. The gutter 2 is attached from itsother end 2 a with a turning joint 6 to the L-shaped supporting beam 4of the gutter. The supporting beam 4 of the gutter, in turn, is attachedto the substructure of the bowling lane. By means of the supporting beam4 it is possible to arrange the adjustments of the gutter in thevertical and lateral direction. The other edge 2 b of the gutter 2 canbe moved and turned freely around a supporting point in such a mannerthat maintenance or other corresponding work can be conducted in thearea underneath the gutter 2. The turning joint may be for example ahinge. Underneath the gutter 2 there is a channel 5 which is made offlexible, pressure-proof and wear-proof material. The shape of thecross-section of the channel 5 can be changed by changing the pressurein the channel 5. Typically, the channel 5 is made of fabric-reinforcedpolymer material. For example a fabric-reinforced polyvinyl chloridehose, which is conventionally used as a fire hose, is made of a suitablematerial.

[0028] The channel 5 can be placed to a suitable location in the lateraldirection of the gutter 2 underneath the same, depending for example onthe diameter of the channel and the required lifting height. Suitablelifting height is typically 50 to 60 mm. Instead of one single channel,there may be several channels 5. The channel 5 may also be liftedupwards from the upper surface of the substructure in a suitable mannerwith a suitable raising or on the lower surface of the gutter 2 theremay be a thicker section, wherein the lifting of the gutter 2 can beimplemented by means of a channel 5 having a small diameter, or it canbe lifted higher than without the above-mentioned raisings or thickersections. Thus, the channel 5 is in direct contact with the lowersurface of the gutter 2 in such a manner that between the same there maybe only the above-mentioned raisings and/or thicker sections.

[0029] When the aim is to lift up the edge of the gutter so that itforms an obstacle for the bowling balls, in other words to an upperposition, the channel is arranged to be filled with a suitable liquidmedium such as water, or gaseous medium, such as air. The preferredmedium is air. The air pressure in the channel 5 is advantageously 400to 1000 Pa higher than the pressure of the air surrounding the channel,most advantageously 400 to 500 Pa higher than the pressure of airsurrounding the channel. The pressure is generated by means of acompressor or a blower.

[0030] When there is a need to lower the gutter down to the normalposition used during bowling, in other words to the lower position, airis removed from the channel 5. The air is removed from the channel 5 insuch a manner that an air bleeding valve connected to the channel 5 isarranged to open when it receives a signal from the control unit. Thefilling and emptying of the channel 5 can be controlled with a simpleon/off switch or by means of computer control, wherein the lifting ofthe edge of the gutter as an obstacle or lowering of the same from theobstacle position can be connected for example to the automatic scoringsystem of the bowling lane. Thus, it is possible to input information onthe players in a computer, and when such a bowler has his/her turn whoneeds the obstacles on the sides of a single bowling lane, the edge 2 bof the gutter 2 is arranged to be lifted up automatically for thisplayer. The edge 2 b of the gutter 2 is automatically lowered down whena bowler who bowls in the conventional way has his/her turn. When theedge of the gutter is lowered down, the channel 5 becomes empty and asound caused by discharge of air is attenuated by means of soundattenuators installed in the air bleeding valves. The emptying of thechannel 5 is arranged so that it takes place sufficiently slowly,irrespective of the manner of control, for example with the dimensioningof the air bleeding valve in such a way that the edge 2 b of the gutter2 is lowered down in a cushioned manner, in other words it does not falldown suddenly. Sudden falling might cause damages in the gutter as wellas disturbing noises resulting from the falling. When the channel hasbecome sufficiently empty, the substantially vertical section 2 c of thegutter 2 remains on top of the substructure. The channel 5 is also asuitably flexible base for the gutter 2 when the bowling ball hits theedge of the gutter and causes vibration of the gutter.

[0031] If desired, it is possible to install devices giving visualeffects in the groove 7 extending throughout the entire length of thegutter 2, which effects become visible when the gutter 2 has been liftedup. Such devices giving visual effects may be for example bands ofoptical cable.

[0032] The above-described facts do not restrict the invention, but theinvention may vary within the scope of the claims. The invention canalso be applied in lanes of other pin games, for example in so-calledKegel lanes. The obstacle element does not necessarily have to be theedge of the gutter, but it can be a separate element between the bowlinglane and the gutter, which is lifted up and lowered down by means of achannel located under the same that can be expanded with a gaseous orliquid medium. Furthermore, the obstacle element can be the edge of thegutter in such a manner that the entire gutter is lifted up in thevertical direction for example by means of two channels. It is alsopossible that between the obstacle element and the channel there is apassive connecting element that transmits the movement of the channeland effects the movement of the obstacle element.

[0033] The function of the channel to lift up the obstacle element doesnot necessarily have to be based on the fact that the pressure of thechannel in the lower position is substantially the same as the pressureof the ambient air, but the function of the channel can also be based onthe difference between the pressures prevailing in the upper and lowerpositions. Thus, the pressure in the channel can be higher than normalair pressure at all times. The cross-section of the channel is notnecessarily circular, but the shape of the same may vary. Thecross-sectional area of the channel may vary for example in such amanner that at the point where the obstacle element is lifted up thecross-sectional area of the channel is larger than in other sections ofthe channel. It is an essential aspect of the present invention thatwith the so-called bumper bowling in mind, the obstacle for preventingthe falling of the bowling ball in the gutter can be formed in a simplemanner by using a stationary channel, the filling and emptying of whichcauses the movement of the obstacle element.

1. An obstacle on a bowling lane for keeping a bowling ball on a single bowling lane, which obstacle comprises at least one obstacle element that is arranged to be movable and is positioned next to the edge of the bowling lane in the longitudinal direction of the same, means for moving the obstacle element and means for guiding the movement of the obstacle element, characterized in that the members for moving the obstacle element comprise a channel (5) located underneath the obstacle element, which channel can be expanded by means of a gaseous or liquid medium.
 2. The obstacle according to claim 1, characterized in that the channel (5) and the obstacle element are in direct contact with each other.
 3. The obstacle according to claim 1, characterized in that between the channel (5) and the obstacle element there is a connecting piece.
 4. The obstacle according to claim 1, characterized in that the obstacle element is a gutter (2) one end of which (2 a) is attached with a turning joint, such as a hinge (6), and the other edge (2 b) can be moved.
 5. The obstacle according to claim 1, characterized in that the channel is a pressure-proof, flexible hose.
 6. The obstacle according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the obstacle element is in the upper position when the channel (5) has been filled with a gaseous or liquid medium.
 7. The obstacle according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the obstacle is in the lower position when the channel (5) has been emptied of a gaseous or liquid medium at least partly.
 8. The obstacle according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the obstacle element is arranged to move perpendicularly to the plane of the bowling lane.
 9. A bowling lane comprising a substructure, at least one single bowling lane comprising an approach lane, a ball track, and a pin deck, a gutter (2) extending on both sides of a single bowling lane parallel to the same in the longitudinal direction of the bowling lane, an obstacle element that can be moved to an upper and lower position, located next to the longitudinal edge of the bowling lane, means for moving the obstacle element, and means for guiding the movement of the obstacle element, characterized in that the means for moving the obstacle element comprise a channel (5) underneath the obstacle element that can be expanded with a gaseous or liquid medium.
 10. The bowling lane according to claim 9, characterized in that the obstacle element is arranged to move to the upper position when the channel (5) has been arranged to be filled with a gaseous or liquid medium.
 11. The bowling lane according to claim 9, characterized in that the obstacle element is arranged to move to the lower position when the channel (5) has been arranged to be emptied of a gaseous or liquid medium at least partly.
 12. The obstacle according to any of the preceding claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the means for guiding the movement of the obstacle element can be connected to an automatic scoring system. 